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UO Professor Researches How Speech Works (And Doesn't)

Robert & Mihaela Vicol, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18653150

We depend on language a lot, often taking for granted how speech works. 

It only takes one slight hiccup--in either speaking or hearing--for "excuse me while I kiss the sky" to become "excuse me while I kiss this guy." 

This is the research zone in which the University of Oregon's Melissa Baese-Berk works.  She's an associate professor in the Department of Linguistics, studying speech production and perception. 

An example of her work: trying to figure out if Neil Armstrong said "small step for A man."  Dr. Baese-Berk is this month's guest in cUriOus: Research Meets Radio. 
 

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Geoffrey Riley is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism and has hosted the Jefferson Exchange on JPR since 2009. He's been a broadcaster in the Rogue Valley for more than 35 years, working in both television and radio.
April Ehrlich is an editor and reporter at Oregon Public Broadcasting. Prior to joining OPB, she was a news host and regional reporter at Jefferson Public Radio.